Stephen Harris

TUC's Paul Nowak calls out Conservative MP Luke Evans who criticised welfare payments. "A third of those who claim universal credit are in work" "And we are subsidising poor employers, many of whom are not small businesses, they're large businesses who can afford to pay more" "And we are subsidising them as taxpayers" My view: 36% of working Universal Crecit claimants worked more than 30 hours a week. Telling people to work harder is a hollow response when so many are already putting in substantial hours and still qualify for support. Why should taxpayers have to top up wages at hugely profitable companies that can afford to pay their staff more? The people stacking shelves, serving customers and keeping these businesses running help create that wealth. They deserve a fairer share of it. Universal Credit also helps with housing, children and other household needs. Politicians should challenge those business decisions with the same energy they direct at benefit claimants. When companies prioritise shareholder returns while the people generating those returns struggle to cover the basics, something is badly wrong with the system.

Gent in purple, "State pensioners who have contributed their whole lives are on a lot less than minimum wage" "I'm very lucky to have a small German pension, and believe me, it's a lot more than what we pay in this country" "Most of western Europe their pensions are much higher than the state pension in this country" "I'm lucky I get a pension from the military" "But people on the basic state pension, I reall feel sorry for them" My view: The full new State Pension is roughly £12,548 a year. Someone working 37.5 hours a week on the £12.71 minimum wage earns about £24,785 before tax. That puts the full new State Pension at barely half a full-time minimum-wage salary. Government figures show that 12% of pensioner families received their income entirely from the State Pension and other state benefits in 2024/25. That same year, around 1.7 million pensioners — one in seven — were living in relative poverty after housing costs. A better pension means being able to heat your home, eat properly and see friends without calculating what you’ll have to go without afterwards. It also means money spent in the communities where pensioners live. After a lifetime of working, caring and contributing, financial security should be something people can expect.

Conservative London Assembly member Susan Hall accuses Zack Polanski of not caring about the Jewish community. Zack Polanski responds, "To have an Assembly member from the Conservatives point at me and pretend she cares about Jewish people, when you are weaponising anti-semitism - shame on you"